Exhibition Opener

?   Bradley will play the first of two exhibition games Thursday night by hosting NCAA Division II SIU-Edwardsville at Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse.

?   The Braves return nine lettermen, including all five starters, from the 2004-05 team that posted a 13-15 overall record and finished eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference.

?   Bradley returns 95.9 percent of its scoring from the 2004-05 team, the greatest percentage of returning offensive production in the country, as well as league-best 93.1 percent of its rebounding total.

?   SIU-Edwardsville lost seven lettermen, including three starters and six of the top nine scorers, from last year's squad that went 23-9 and finished second in the NCAA DII Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Series History

?   Bradley is 3-0 all-time versus SIU-Edwardsville, although only one of those meetings counted, an 88-82 victory Dec. 6, 1986 at Carver Arena.

?   Hersey Hawkins led the way with 23 points and eight assists in the only official meeting.

?   The Braves also own a pair of exhibition victories versus the Cougars at Carver Arena

?   Thursday's game will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs in Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse.

Bradley vs. SIU-Edwardsville

12-6-86  Carver Arena               BU, 88-82

2001-02  Carver Arena (exhibition)  BU, 89-77

2003-04  Carver Arena (exhibition)  BU, 70-48

Looking Ahead

?   The preseason exhibition schedule will conclude Nov. 12 when the Braves host NCAA Division II Minnesota State in a 7:05 p.m. clash at Carver Arena.

?   The Nov. 12 exhibition game will be the first in Bradley's 2005-06 season-ticket package.

?   Minnesota State is coached by Matt Margenthaler, who is the brother of Bradley women's basketball assistant coach Ty Margenthaler and the son of former SIU-Edwardsville and Western Illinois head coach Jack Margenthaler.

Exhibition History

?   Bradley owns a 42-11 record in exhibition games, dating back to the 1946-47 season.

?   The 2005-06 season marks the fifth year NCAA Division I programs have been permitted to play Division II and III programs in preseason exhibition games.

?   Including a 2-0 record versus SIU-Edwardsville, the Braves are 5-0 against their lower-division opponents during the preseason the last four years.

?   In addition, Bradley has played six exhibition games versus Canadian colleges, five last year and one versus Western Ontario in 1958, and the Braves are 11-0 all-time in exhibition games versus collegiate programs.

NCAA Division II Exhibitions

11-10-01  SIU-Edwardsville (Carver Arena)  W  89-77

11-17-02  Lewis (Carver Arena, OT)         W  93-89

11-13-03  SIU-Edwardsville (Carver Arena)  W  70-48

11-04-04  Quincy (Robertson Fieldhouse)    W  91-64

11-12-04  Lewis (Carver Arena)             W  84-65

Versus the Cougars

?   In addition to the two previous exhibition games versus SIU-Edwardsville, Bradley hosted the Cougars in a a regular-season game Dec. 6, 1986 at Carver Arena.

?   Pulling out an 88-82 victory behind Hersey Hawkins' 23 points and eight assists, Bradley is officially 1-0 all-time versus the SIU-Edwardsville on the hardcourt.

?   The Braves also own a pair of exhibition victories versus the Cougars at Carver Arena.

?   Thursday's game will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs in Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse.

Scouting the Cougars

?   Southern Illinois-Edwardsville is a member of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference.

?   Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Marty Simmons, a former Evansville assistant, the Cougars produced a 23-9 record last season, finished second in the GLVC with a 15-5 league mark and advanced to the NCAA Division II national tournament.

?   SIU-Edwardsville, however, lost seven lettermen from last year's squad, including three starters, as well as the top two and six of the top nine scorers.

?   The team's top returning player is sophomore guard J.B. Jones, who averaged 10.8 points and 5.1 assists per game last season.

?   Following Thursday's visit to Robertson Fieldhouse, SIU-Edwardsville will face Bradley's Missouri Valley Conference rival Southern Illinois Nov. 12 and Purdue Nov. 13 to complete its three-game preseason schedule.

Red-White Recap

?   Senior point guard Tony Bennett nabbed game-high scoring honors by pumping in 16 points during the 24-minute Red-White Scrimamge Friday night at Robertson Fieldhouse.

?   Although players switched sides at halftime, the White squad ended the night with a 51-48 advantage.

?   Senior forward Marcellus Sommerville added 12 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots, while his former Peoria High School teammate, point guard Daniel Ruffin, approached a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.

?   Sophomore center Patrick O'Bryant and junior forward Zach Andrews shared game-high honors with seven rebounds, apiece.

?   Overall, the Braves shot 47.9 percent from the field, including 47.1 percent (8-of-17) from 3-point territory, but committed 35 turnovers in the 24-minute scrimmage.